


places that were promised

by acosmic



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-02
Updated: 2017-01-02
Packaged: 2018-09-14 03:31:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9158227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/acosmic/pseuds/acosmic
Summary: It's either something or nothing. (Or both at the same time.)





	

**Author's Note:**

> for my df who said i should try writing fanfic who i then promptly told to die
> 
> edit 6/5/17: the title comes from "an old man awake in his own death" by mark strand  
> (this is the place that was promised when i went to sleep, taken from me when i woke)

"Natsume!"  
  
"Don't talk to Me."  
  
"Why not?" A chair screeches as he drags it over toward Natsume’s desk. Sitting down and facing him, Subaru tilts his head like a puppy at that. Big wide eyes, a pout, the works. Gross.  
  
"I'm not going to have a conversation with someone I don't Like."  
  
"Ah…  Well, you're going to have to do that for the rest of your life so you might as well start now."  
  
Subaru doesn't miss a beat, like it's one of his stupid puns, but he’s already speaking again.  
  
"You talked to Eichi-senpai at your live."  
  
Natsume stands up from his seat. And then sits back down. Up. Down. Up.  
  
"It's making me dizzy to look at you—" Subaru says, a pleasant lilt in his voice. He looks happy to be bothering Natsume, although bothering people could possibly be his hobby. Natsume wouldn’t put it past him.

“Shut up, Baru-kun.”

He gestures wildly. It’s even more nauseating to look at than the up-down-up thing.“It’s different with the student council president! He was our enemy and you’re just a Liar.”

Subaru leans back in his chair again, balancing it on the back two legs. He’s going to fall and crack his head open, the idiot. Hokuto would reprimand him, but Natsume doesn’t bother. With his hands on his chin in a thinking pose and his legs splayed out, he makes a whole spectacle out of it. Natsume isn’t sure if it’s intentional. Who knows with Akehoshi Subaru?

“You keep saying I’m a liar, but you don’t tell me why.”

Natsume doesn’t deign to give this a response. He can't think of a proper one.

 

* * *

 

It’s easy to hide yourself in the inner workings of the school when no one bothers to look for you. The archives are only known to a certain few, so it’s practically guaranteed that no one will interrupt him.

Tsumugi used to, coming in during lunch and after school inquiring about his attendance and health. _(“You’re not skipping classes again, are you? It’s not good to be cooped up in an underground room all the time—“ “You’re not my Mother.” “Don’t throw books at me, Natsume-kun! Especially not ones from the library! I have to return those!”)_

So when he hears the door turn, he doesn’t give it a second thought. He sees orange hair and starts giving it a second thought. Surely escape is possible — and Subaru is already blocking the path between the door and shelf Natsume was looking at.

“What do you Want?” Natsume casually drops the pamphlet he’s holding. The edges slip between his fingers and it stings. A papercut, probably, but Natsume is too busy watching Subaru’s expression to check.

Subaru examines the dust on the shelves. “Hey, Natsume” _A pause._ “Nice meeting you here.”

“Baru-kun.”

“Yeah?”

“You haven’t been in the library, let alone the archives, for almost a Year.”

“That’s true.”

They stand in silence, in between old class albums and the (defunct) Classical Literature Club’s anthologies. Natsume wonders if magic can make lunch bells ring. Surely, it’s time to go back to class? Unfortunately, Subaru interrupts this train of thought by striding down the aisle and peering at the line of red that’s starting to drip off of Natsume’s hand.

He holds Natsume’s hands carefully, like he’s something fragile, delicate, _precious_ , even. Not something that’s been stomped on, crushed under the heel of the so-called ‘Emperor’ and swept away like garbage. Not like a villain, wasn’t that the role he was given?

Natsume hates it, this simple kindness.

(Kindness from someone who abandoned him feels the most cruel.)

Subaru starts to haphazardly dig around in his hoodie’s pocket with one hand. “I think I have a bandage. Otherwise, I guess we can go to the nurse’s office. That’s a good excuse to skip class, hmm?”

He feels like he should shove Subaru away so he does. A curse seems like a good idea. Blood is good for curses. Although usually you get blood from the person being cursed, not the other way around. 

The bell signaling that lunch has ended rings. Subaru doesn’t spare a glance behind him as he heads back to class. Natsume is left with a Band-Aid, a bleeding finger, and a vague feeling he can't discern.

 

* * *

 

There’s no real reason why Natsume pulls Subaru into an unused classroom that evening. The light is starting to fade, and Subaru turns to make some remark.

He grabs Subaru’s shirt and Subaru closes his eyes and leans forward. It’s as simple as that.

This isn’t kissing. It’s messy with too much teeth, and Natsume can taste copper on his tongue. It’s terribly unromantic, tasting someone else’s blood in your mouth. Nothing like what books say at all.

Natsume smears chalk dust all over the front of Subaru’s nice jacket and his less nice hoodie. He tries to derive some form of pleasure because that producer, Anzu, that’s her name, probably wouldn’t like it and she’s practically Trickstar’s guard-dog. (But the idea of her fussing over Subaru bothered him. Just a little, mind you.)

Anyway. This isn’t kissing.

This isn’t love or like or anything like that. If he can just tell himself that enough, maybe he’ll believe it even a little.

It really isn’t.  

Subaru's laugh when he pulls away is high and clear. He turns to look at the pentacle drawn on the blackboard and says, "What's with the chalk? Were you trying to summon a demon or something?"

"I was trying to summon You." 

Really, truly isn't.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading!! kudos/comments are appreciated  
> this is the first fanfic i 've posted so... haha.. thanks a lot


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